Tigers toil as WI take lead

Bangladesh national cricket team continued to toil in the first Test of their two-match Test series against West Indies at Antigua as the hosts went past their meagre score of 103 to take a lead.

At the end of the first hour, Bangladesh failed to add on to their two wickets earned on the first day as West Indies added 38 more runs to take the lead.

The hosts ended the first hour on 133-2, leading by 30 runs. West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite was unbeaten on 58 runs off 184 deliveries, while his partner Nkrumah Bonner was unbeaten on 33 off 92 deliveries.

The Bangladesh pacers continued with their control from day one as they dried up the runs, but they failed to make any breakthroughs. In the first five overs, they gave away just two runs.

The Tigers should have had a wicket in the 53rd over as Ebadot Hossain put Bonner under pressure throughout the over and beat him in the final delivery.

The ball seemed to pass Bonner’s bat fairly closely, but there were no apparent appeals from the Bangladesh fielders. Replays showed that there was indeed an edge and the Caribbean batsman would have been out if Bangladesh had reviewed. But as Bangladesh did not even appeal vociferously, a review was never even discussed.

Bonner was living a charming life as he got another life in the 58th over off Khaled Ahmed’s bowling. Khaled’s delivery took the shoulder of Bonner’s bat and went towards Najmul Hossain Shanto at first slip.

But Najmul seemingly did not even understand the ball’s trajectory as he did not even move, and the ball went past him for four.

Brathwaite reached his fifty by picking a single off Shakib Al Hasan. The West Indian skipper took 174 deliveries to reach his 26th fifty in Tests, where he hit five fours.

The last five overs of the hour saw the Caribbeans accelerate as they picked up 21 runs.